Shooters select squad ahead of next year’s games

LAST weekend completed the selection process for the Shetland’s island games sporting clay shooting team.

Two 70 target shoots were held, one on Saturday afternoon and the other on Sunday morning, and both shoots were well attended and shot in good conditions.

On Saturday Peter Ratter maintained his grasp on a team place and hit 35 out of the first 40 targets to lead from Chris William­son and Jim Work, both on 31. By the end of the shoot he had stayed in front of Chris Williamson who was closing on him. Ratter won with a total of 58 with Williamson on 56 and Work on 55. They were followed by new shooter Alan Moar on 52, Bryan Sutherland and Ewen Johnson both on 49, John Magnus Laurenson 47, Andy Johnson 42, Ian Sutherland 39 and Peter Robertson 27.

On Sunday with a trophy on the agenda John Magnus Laurenson took up the early lead and never looked back, having hit 37 out of the first 40 targets to lead from Kevin Gray on 34 and Chris Williamson on 33.

Laurenson raised the bar and took his winning score into the sixties, hitting a total of 63 to win the Sporting Trophy. He was followed by Kevin Gray on 58, Chris Williamson 56, Ewen Johnson and Bryan Sutherland 55, Jim Work 54, Alan Moar 52, Peter Ratter 50, Peter Davies 49, Ian Sutherland 46, Andy Johnson 45 and Peter Robertson 41.

The sporting team was selected from the best two scores over the three shoots and turned out very close, with Peter Ratter and Chris Williamson both on 112 and Jim Work on 109 all qualifying. John Magnus Laurenson, having hit 110, was already in the Olympic skeet team.

The other team members for Åland next year are Peter Davies and Ewen Johnson for automatic ball trap (ABT) and John Magnus Laurenson and Bryan Sutherland for Olympic skeet (OSK).

This Sunday the club will be putting on 50 targets for the OSK Trophy with a 10am start. The ABT will be open for practice for the shooters going to the international the following weekend in Wales.